Shinobi Chronicles
by Genjutsu74
Summary: A/U: When Naruto is captured by the Akatsuki, he loses the power of the Kyuubi. Tsunade saves him, but at the cost of her own strength. Now Naruto must restart his training with a new team! EDIT: Prologue and Chapter 1 changed. Details in Chapter 2 A/N.
1. Prologue

**:A/N:**

Well, this is my very first fic. It's not my first attempt, mind you, but this is the first time I've had the determination to actually get behind it. I can't promise I'll stick with it; don't be surprised if I'm not a fast updater, but I can promise that I will try my best. I've got a lot of things worked out in my head, but I have no clue where this will ultimately lead. There are Japanese manga spoilers here, so take heed if you're avoiding those.

This fic is an AU; it picks up the story after Naruto, Hinata, and Yamato encounter Kabuto on the mission to find Itachi; anything after that is up for change. In this story, Naruto is captured by the Akatsuki shortly after that encounter with Kabuto, and the Kyuubi is extracted. Eventually, I may make story based upon that, but this story starts after that mission. Also, an OC will play prominently in the story. Sorry if you don't like that.

Sections of the story that are completely bolded are parts that aren't taking place at the moment. Flashbacks and foreshadowing are done with this style. Also, this entire prologue is foreshadowing; view it as the same as the little intro in Shippuden.

**EDIT:** Updated with changes 3/16/09

Anyways, enjoy!

**:DISCLAIMER:**

Naruto ain't mine, kiddies. Don't ask me for it.

**________________________________________**

**SHINOBI CHRONICLES**

**PROLOGUE**

**________________________________________**

**Pain.**

**It coarsed through every inch of his body. It was worse in his left shoulder, which was shredded and bleeding profusely. The shoulder had taken a direct hit, and he couldn't move the arm at all. He could barely draw upon enough of his chakra to keep him on the water's surface; that crazy sword had devoured the rest of it. Every fiber of his being felt sore, his legs weak and frail, shaking against his will, barely holding up his exhausted body.**

**"Dammit..." he cursed to himself, stealing a glance at his fallen teammate, who was face down, unmoving, on a large tree limb. Anko had fought valiantly, but their enemy had targeted her, apparently deeming her a bigger threat. He didn't even know if Anko was still alive. Anger and frustration pulsed through his veins, bringing his blood to a boil. "It...It can't end like this...!"**

**"Heh, sure it can, kid!" the blue-skinned man taunted, an evil sneer spreading across his face, exposing his razor-sharp fangs. "I think I've toyed with you fools long enough...It's time for you to understand what happens when you cross the Scourge of the Hidden Mist!"**

_**'C'mon, Naruto! You've got to do something...! Anything!!' **_**Naruto closed his eyes, angry at himself for being so useless. Angry at this monster for hurting his friends. Angry at **_**him**_** for abandoning them again.**

**Anger.**

**Pain.**

**Despair.**

**Kisame began raising his sword, Samehada, over his head, and cackled before taunting him some more.**

**"Ah, well. You beat me last time because of that damned Kyuubi. No such luck this time, eh? Time...to..!?" Kisame trailed off, eyes widening in shock at the sight before him.**

**That feeling. That familiar chakra flowing through him and exploding around him. It consumed him. Naruto looked down at his hands. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.**

**It was back. He didn't know how or why, but the Red Chakra had returned.**

**It wasn't as strong as it used to be, but it was there. It was still stronger than his standard chakra, and it was giving him a second wind.**

**"W-what...?!" Kisame stammered. His grip on Samehada loosened a bit. "But...but that's impossible!" he shouted, taking a step back.**

**A sneer slowly spread across Naruto's face. "Heh heh, what's wrong, fish-breath? Scared?!" he taunted, glaring at Kisame with blood-red eyes. The Red Chakra continued to flow around him. He could feel the wound on his shoulder healing slowly.**

**Kisame's eyes narrowed, and his grip on the Samehada tightened. "...Gah! It doesn't matter! I'll just take that chakra too!" he bellowed angrily as he swung the giant sword at Naruto. Naruto stopped the chakra flow in his feet and propelled himself under the water, avoiding the attack. He winced as he felt a little bit of his chakra get devoured by the sword, but it wasn't much. As he fell underwater, he brought his hands up in front of his face.**

**"Tch, what is this?! The water's my turf, kid!" Kisame shouted, diving after the blonde-haired teenager. It didn't take him long to spot Naruto, and he pursued him back to the surface. They both surfaced at the same time, Kisame tearing the Samehada through Naruto's stomach.**

**"Aha! Stupid kid!" Kisame shouted triumphantly, landing back on top of the water.**

**POOF!**

**"Tch...Shadow Clone..?" Kisame's eyes narrowed in annoyance. **_**'Calm down...don't let him get to you, dammit..!' **_**he thought to himself as he spun around. Another Naruto had surfaced about 10 meters away.**

**"I guess you forgot what my best Jutsu is, eh fish-breath?" he taunted once more, extending his right arm outward, palm facing upward. Chakra began to swirl inside his palm.**

**Suddenly, two more Narutos burst out of the water, one about 100 meters behind Kisame, the other directly in front of him. The closer one swung a large shuriken upwards towards Kisame, but the attack missed, Kisame dodging the blade easily. The attack did, however, force Kisame away from the first Naruto. Meanwhile, the farthest Naruto started running towards him, his hands held outward in front of his body. Kisame glanced over his shoulder at the second Naruto, his eyes narrowing. **_**'Those hand-signs again..?'**_** He scowled.**

**"Pathetic!" Kisame bellowed, cleaving through the closest Naruto and turning towards the one that was rushing him. Unsurprisingly, the one that he had slashed disappeared with a loud pop, just as the one before it had. Kisame blanched. "You don't learn, do you?!" He charged towards the rushing Naruto, Samehada at his side, ready to strike.**

**"Wind Style! Wind Fangs Jutsu!" the rushing Naruto shouted. His hands crossed in front of him as he did, then swung outward violently. A powerful blast of wind shot towards Kisame, raising a small wave of water as it traveled forward.**

**"Hmph! Try again, kid!" Kisame bellowed, swinging Samehada in front of him, devouring the chakra of the Jutsu and neutralizing the attack. He continued towards the now closer Naruto and swung his sword again, cleaving through his midsection roughly.**

**POOF!**

**Kisame spun around angrily, and rushed the last remaining Naruto. The chakra in his palm was starting to take shape. **

**"Tch, of course that was the Clone! Well, it doesn't matter! Time to-" Kisame suddenly came to a halt right in front of Naruto, sword raised over his head. Kisame's eyes widened in shock.**

**"Wha...What the hell!?"**

**Naruto's eyes followed a shadow along the surface of the water to it's source. He smirked.**

**"Success..!"**

**Kisame's head slowly turned to the left against his will. There, he saw a young, black haired shinobi, hands held in front of his face, smirking triumphantly. His shadow had extended outward towards Kisame's shadow, connecting with it.**

**"Sh-Shadow Paralysis?!" Kisame stuttered, his voice laced with dread. The boy scowled.**

**"It's Shadow POSSESSION! Get your Jutsu's right already..." the young Shinobi retorted, sounding bored.**

**"Took you long enough, Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed, glancing over at his lazy friend.**

**"Just finish him off already!" Shikamaru replied, glancing at Naruto.**

**"Reinforcements...ugh. Those damn kids were fast..." Kisame stammered, wide eyes glancing back at Naruto.**

**Naruto closed his eyes, focusing his chakra. His palm was still facing upward, chakra still swirling. **_**'Alright, c'mon, Naruto...focus...'**_

**"Keh! When I get free of this, I'm gonna tear you all to pieces!! I'll make sure you suffer..!" Kisame ranted angrily, struggling against the shadow that bound him.**

**The chakra in Naruto's hand began to take a spherical form. It was spinning and swirling wildly. Naruto scowled. **_**'C'mon...compress the chakra..!'**_** The chakra continued to gather and form, until Naruto held a blue, spiraling orb in his right hand.**

_**'That's it! Maintain it..! I've got it..!'**_

**"Argh...this is not...good...!!" Kisame's eyes widened in panic. He struggled more, but to no avail.**

**Naruto slowly opened his blood-red eyes, glaring at Kisame. A vengeful scowl crossed his face as he prepared to attack.**

**"This...This is for what you did...to Hinata..!" Naruto growled. Kisame gritted his teeth, eyes widening even more. Suddenly, Naruto shot forward towards Kisame, thrusting the blue orb towards his midsection.**

**"RASENGAN!!!"**


	2. Team 4

**:A/N:**

Well, here's the first chapter. If you wish to know more about the details of the story, be sure to check the A/N from the prologue.

The OC's name has some meaning behind it. Now, I'm no expert at Japanese, so if someone wants to correct me, please do. Wakaba means 'young leaf', I beleive, and Kaiba should mean 'painting'. Again, if I'm wrong, someone please let me know.

Also, yes, there will be NaruXHina in this. Naruto's the dominant character, but there will be many others playing important roles. Just so nobody panics, as you'll see in this chapter, Hinata is not dead or anything. Some of you may have assumed that from the prologue.

**EDIT**: Updated with changes on 3/16/09.

In anycase, I hope you enjoy it!

**:DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own Naruto, buddy. If I did, I'd be rich. And popular. And, uh, wouldn't be writing here.

**________________________________________**

**SHINOBI CHRONICLES**

**CHAPTER 1**

_**Team 4**_

**________________________________________**

"Oh come on, you're not serious are you?" Uzumaki Naruto looked at his masked teammate, irritated by his suggestion. "Why, _exactly_, am I still a Genin anyway? I beat Neji in the exams last time, and he's a Jonin now." he complained, sighing heavily as he looked out the window of the office they were in.

Hatake Kakashi glared at his blonde-haired teammate impatiently. "_Neji_ didn't make Chuunin then either." he said slowly, as if talking to a five-year-old kid. "It's not all about strength, Naruto. Certainly Shikamaru has shown you that much?"

Naruto frowned. The thought of taking the Chuunin Exams again wasn't too appealing to him, especially with all of Akatsuki's recent activity. However, it was the idea of getting stuck on a team with two snot-nosed brats that really annoyed him. Naruto just didn't have the patience for something like that.

"Kakashi-Sensei's right, Naruto. You should take the opportunity to adjust to how your chakra feels now." Naruto's pink-haired Konoichi teammate, Haruno Sakura, chimed in. "You can't just yell and scream and rely on your limitless chakra to win battles for you any more."

Naruto scowled. _'Kyuubi...'_ he thought to himself. The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that had resided in him and granted him near limitless power. Akatsuki had extracted it from him two weeks ago. By all means, he should be dead, as the extraction proccess is supposed to kill the host. But Naruto had been saved by Madam Hokage herself, at the sacrifice of much of her vitality and strength. Naruto's scowl deepened as he thought about it. _'Granny-Tsunade...how could I have let that happen...how could I have let Akatsuki get the Kyuubi!? And, what that Kisame guy did to Hinata...'_ Naruto's thoughts trailed off as Kakashi began to speak again.

"Yes, thank you Sakura. We just don't know how different your powers are going to be without the Kyuubi inside you. If the Kazekage is any indication, you won't lose ALL of them...but we're not sure exactly what's going to be different." Kakashi continued to rant. "The Chuunin Exam will give you an opportunity to find out, and give you a chance to finally become a Chuunin."

"Argh..! I KNOW!" Naruto shouted, standing up from his chair and swinging his arms wildly in the air. "I just...what about the Akatsuki?! What about Sasuke, and Kabuto?! I don't have time to go play 'Ninja' with a bunch of kids! I have to do someth..." Naruto's ranting was interrupted by Kakashi.

"I know you're worried, Naruto, but you're only going to be a burden if you can't adjust!" Kakashi said, raising his voice a bit. Naruto, opened his mouth again to respond, but quickly shut it again. He knew his former Sensei was right, but he just couldn't stand the idea of going through that stupid forest again while his friends and comrades fought against the Akatsuki and other dangers. It just didn't seem right.

Naruto sat back down, folded his arms in front of his chest, and scowled again.

"Come on, Naruto...it can't be that bad. Can't you atleast give it a try?" Sakura said softly, walking towards Naruto as she did. She leaned down in front of him and looked at him with a pleading look on her face.

Naruto sighed again. He couldn't say no to Sakura when she got like that. "Ugh...alright...I'll give it a try, I guess..." Naruto grumbled, pouting in his chair as he glared holes through an innocent book in the corner of the room.

_'Just like a little kid...heh.'_ Sakura thought to herself, smiling sweetly.

"Good. You'll probably be assigned to your new team tomorrow." Kakashi sighed in relief. "I'll notify Madam Hokage." he said, nodding to his teammates.

"That's all for the day. You guys have the rest of the day off. Make good use of it. Naruto, you'll be notified of your schedule later tonight." Kakashi said, walking towards the door. He waved at them as he left the room.

"Bye, Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura said, waving back as the white-haired shinobi left the room. She then turned her attention back to the pouting Naruto.

"Well, moping around isn't a good way to spend your day off! Come on, let's go get something to eat!" Sakura commanded, grabbing Naruto's arm and dragging him with her.

They left the main building and entered the busy streets of Konaha. They were bustling with the typical afternoon business, villagers and shinobi mingling throughout the crowd. As they worked there way through the village, Naruto finally managed to shake himself away from Sakura's grasp. Sakura turned to look at him.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sakura asked tilting her head curiously.

Naruto was looking toward a certain building, a somber look on his face. Sakura knew the building well, and she smiled, knowing what he would suggest.

"Let's go visit Hinata."

**________________________________________**

Kakashi looked at the Hokage sitting at her desk, a sudden rush of pity hitting him. Tsunade, upon hearing of Naruto's capture, had put herself on the sqaud sent to recover him, alongside Jiraiya, Sakura, Sai, Shizune, and himself. Upon finally arriving, they discovered that the process was already complete, and were forced to fend off the four Akatsuki members that were still there, though two of them were already battle-weary after having captured Naruto beforehand. Thanks to their apparent leader, however, they all escaped alive, much to Kakashi's annoyance. After things calmed down, Tsunade used an extremely advanced and dangerous Medical Ninjutsu that revitalized Naruto at the sacrifice of most of her own vitality.

The old, weary lady that sat in front of him now looked so...frail. Certainly not the hot-headed, energetic, and beautiful woman that had been named Godaime Hokage.

"I see...that is good." Tsunade said, scribbling on a scroll. "We needed another Genin to complete the new teams."

Kakashi nodded slowly. "He was stubborn about it, as usual, but he eventually agreed to it."

"Hmph...That sounds about right." Tsunade said, smiling gently. "I was going to suggest it myself, but you saved me the trouble."

"Really?" Kakashi tilted his head in curiousity.

"Mmhmm. It'll be good for him." Tsunade nodded slowly, and reached for a folder in her desk. "Now, as for you, Kakashi..." she pushed the folder towards Kakashi. He took the folder and opened it, examining it's contents. His eye widened slightly, looking at Tsunade with shock.

"This is..."

"An S-Rank Mission of the utmost importance." Tsunade interrupted as Kakashi continued to study the folder. "According to Jiraiya's intel, Akatsuki now has all but one of the Biju. This man is apparently the Jinchuuriki of the final Biju: The Eight-Tailed Ushi-Oni, Hachibi." Tsunade paused for a moment, taking a sip of what Kakashi assumed was water.

"I want you, Yamato, Sai, and Yamanaka Ino to search for and investigate any leads on this man's whereabouts." Tsunade picked up a scroll on her desk and tossed it towards Kakashi, who caught it with ease. "Should you find him, give him that scroll. It contains an offer for shelter and protection within Konoha. Should he refuse, attempt to bring him in by force; I don't like it, but we must stop the Akatsuki no matter what. "

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Anything to get a start on?"

"Very little. He's a former Kumogakure Jonin, but he went rogue about five years ago. The photo you see there was taken seven years ago; there haven't been any official sightings of him since..." Tsunade sighed heavily.

"So it's basically it's a wild goose chase." Kakashi continued flipping through the folder, frowning under his mask.

"Unfortunately, yes. He apparently goes by the name 'Killerbee', or something like that." Tsunade frowned. "Also, he's apparently the current Raikage's younger brother."

Kakashi's eye widened once more. "Really?"

Tsunade nodded. "Kumogakure is searching for him as well, but they probably don't have his best interests in mind. Same goes for the Akatsuki, though, fortunately, they don't appear to know his whereabouts either. It's important that you find him before the Akatsuki and Kumogakure. There's a decent chance that you'll run into the competition at some point, so be careful."

"Yes, M'lady."

"You depart tomorrow morning. Make sure you're prepared." Tsunade finished, taking another sip of water.

"One more thing, ma'am, if I may..." Kakashi said, snapping the folder shut. "Why not Sakura, who has much more experience with this team, instead of Ino?"

Tsunade smiled. "This will likely be a long mission. So you will probably need a medic-nin. Sakura is going to be occupied with her new promotion; I'm making her head of our Medic-nin Division. Along with that, she's to be promoted to the rank of Jonin." Tsunade leaned back. "I'd send Shizune, but...I need her here now more than ever. The next in line was Ino."

"I see..." Kakashi said, smiling slightly under his mask. He couldn't help feeling proud of Sakura. If someone had told him three years ago that Sakura would be the first of his students to be promoted to Jonin, he wouldn't have believed it. But she had come a long way; she was definitely an elite shinobi and deserved the promotion.

"Ino's been getting much better with medical jutsu as of late, and her Mind Transfer Jutsu should be useful in gathering intelligence, as well." Tsunade continued, leaning forward in her chair once more. Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Anything else?" Tsunade inquired.

"No ma'am."

"Good! Then I wish you luck on your mission!" Tsunade said sternly.

"I won't let you down, Madam Hokage." Kakashi replied, bowing politely. He then brought his hand in front of his mask and dissapeared in a plume of dust and leaves.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sighed. _'I hope so, Kakashi...'_

**________________________________________**

"So Hinata's getting released soon?! That's great!" Naruto exclaimed happily, a big, toothy grin spreading across his face.

"Shhhh! Quiet down, Naruto! This is a hospital!" Sakura hissed at her teammate. Despite her urges to calm down Naruto, she, too, was glad to hear the news.

Hinata was gravely injured when Naruto was captured by the Akatsuki. She was injured by the large, fish-like member of the Akatsuki, Hoshigake Kisame, otherwise known as the Scourge of the Hidden Mist. Sakura arrived after Hinata had been injured, but apparently, Hinata was struck down brutally by Kisame's sword. Upon seeing this, Naruto was sent into a wild rage, losing control of the Kyuubi inside him. Six of the Nine tails bled out, and Naruto easily dispatched Kisame. Sakura was actually a bit frightened watching him, and was almost relieved when Uchiha Itachi showed up and caught him in the Tsukiyome. Itachi had been driven away by Yamato beforehand, but he had been caught by Itachi's Genjutsu as well. Unfortunately, Kisame somehow managed to survive Naruto's attack, and escaped with the rest of the Akatsuki.

Sakura managed to keep Hinata alive long enough for the First Medic Team to get there and help her and Yamato. Hinata had been in the hospital for the two weeks since, while Yamato had already been released.

The nurse at the reception desk glared at Naruto a bit, then turned to Sakura.

"...Y-Yes, another few days, and she'll be free to go. You know where her room is. She already has a few visitors, and it's getting late, so keep it brief, please." she said, shooting another glare at Naruto, who was laughing happily.

"Right. Thank you!" Sakura said, bowing gratefully before grabbing Naruto's arm again and dragging him up the stairs towards Hinata's room.

They stopped in front of the familiar room, and Naruto rapped on the door impatiently.

"Y-Yes, c-come in!" a light, mousy voice responded. Naruto's grin grew even bigger and he swung open the door.

"Hey, Hinata!! How ya doin!?" he announced loudly, entering the room. The white-eyed girl blushed instantly, her hands flying up in front of her chest, her index fingers pressing together nervously.

"Oh! N-Naruto! W-Welcome back!" Hyuuga Hinata stuttered anxiously, refusing to look Naruto in the eyes.

Sakura giggled watching Hinata. _'She's so adorable when she acts like that.'_ Hinata had always been shy, but lately, she had started to open up a little bit, even shedding her infamous stutter almost completely. However, she was still a nervous wreck around one Uzumaki Naruto. As it turns out, Hinata hadn't witnessed Naruto's wild rage after she had been wounded, so she didn't see how frightening the Kyuubi could make him. Now she probably never would, which was probably for the best.

Naruto and Sakura looked around the room, seeing Hinata's teammates. They both nodded politely.

"Hey there Kiba, Akamaru, uh...eerrrmmm." Naruto looked at the shinobi, Inazuka Kiba, and his pet nin-dog, Akamaru(who gave a loud 'Woof!' in response), in succession, nodding to them both. When his eyes settled on the other shinobi, however, his eyes squinted quizzically. He wracked his mind for a name, but nothing came.

The shinobi sighed. "We...we just...worked together...two weeks ago...and you still..." he sighed again, and shook his head slowly.

"Ahahaaah, don't worry, _Shino_, we remember you're name _PERFECTLY_..." Sakura stammered nervously, then elbowed Naruto in the ribs. Hard. "..._Right?"_

"OW...Sakuraaa, what wa-" Naruto glared at Sakura before realizing what she meant. "Err-oh, uh, right. Hey, uh, S-Shino! What's up?" Naruto tried his best to sound confident and cheerful. It didn't work.

"Whatever. Nevermind." Aburame Shino sighed once again. He glared at the floor, looking depressed. Or, atleast, as depressed as he could look.

Hinata giggled a bit. "It's a-alright, Shino, he d-didn't mean it."

"Heh, so aaanywaaaay, what's up, Naruto?" Kiba said, smirking mischievously. Shino slumped even more, now being ignored.

"Nothing much, just seeing how Hinata's doing! I hear that you're getting out soon! That's great!" Naruto exclaimed, grabbing a chair and pulling it next to the bed. He set it down backwards, folding his arms on top of the back of it and resting his head on his arms.

"Y-Yes! I won't be able to r-return to my t-team for another couple of w-weeks, though." Hinata stammered. She still stuttered around Naruto, but atleast she wasn't afraid to talk to him anymore.

"Ah, who cares? The important thing is that you're gonna be alright! I...I dunno what I would've done if I'd let that guy..." He trailed off, not wanting to say what had entered his mind.

There was a pause, then Hinata smiled. "D-Don't worry about me Naruto. I'll be f-fine!"

Kiba chuckled. "That's right! Hinata can take care of herself most of the time! And in those times she can't, me, Akamaru, and Shino will help her out! Right?!" Akamaru barked loudly in agreement. Shino, somewhat surprised that his name came up again, nodded curtly.

Sakura smiled. Team 8 had always been one of the closer teams in Konaha. It was good to see that hadn't changed.

"That's good...because I don't want to see you get hurt like that again." Naruto said slowly. He looked dead serious. Hinata turned cherry red.

"N-N-Naruto..." Hinata's stutter was at full force now. "Th-Thank you..."

There was a brief silence before Kiba mercifully broke it.

"S-So, uh, anywaaay...the Chuunin Exams are coming up soon." he said, desperately trying to change the subject. He looked at Naruto. "You finally gonna man up and pass that thing?"

Naruto glanced at Kiba, smirking. "Yeah, actually. I guess I'm gonna be assigned to new team tomorrow. Wish me luck!" He grinned and gave Kiba a thumbs up.

Hinata's eyes lit up a bit. "Y-You know, N-Naruto, my little sister p-passed the Academy's f-final exam yesterday. She's g-getting assigned to a t-team tomorrow as well."

"Really?" Naruto responded. That was neat. Maybe they'd be on the same team. That would make things easier. The Hyuuga's were always strong.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked up to see a nurse standing in the doorway, looking impatient.

"Alright. Visiting hours are over! Time to leave! Out! Out with all of you!" she commanded, waving out everyone except Hinata, and shooting death glares at Akamaru and Naruto.

"Ah, man. Guess we gotta leave...I'll see you later Hinata!" Naruto said, waving goodbye to the shy Hyuuga.

"B-Bye, N-Naruto! Good l-luck with your new t-team!" Hinata stammered as Naruto was ushered out the door alongside everyone else.

They all strolled out of the room and outside the hospital, saying there goodbyes. Sakura smiled as she watched Naruto leave, the conversation in Hinata's room fresh in her memory.

_'Maybe he's finally growing up after all.'_

**________________________________________**

_**the next morning...**_

A sleepy Naruto yawned loudly as he strolled down the streets of Konaha. They weren't as busy as they had been yesterday afternoon, but there was still a bit of hustle and bustle, with villagers opening shops and restaraunts for business. Naruto walked past his favorite place to eat, the ramen stand, Ichiraku Ramen, waving as he did. He wished he could stop to eat, but he was already a bit late as it was. Naruto looked back down at the scroll in his hand, reading over it again.

_"Be at the Ninja Academy, Classroom #2 at 10:30 AM._

_You will be assigned to your new team there, with the rest of the Genin."_

Naruto scowled at the scroll. _'Why with the rest of the Genin? Ugh, it's just embarassing...' _he thought to himself, irritated. He would never admit it, but he actually felt nervous, like he did when he was first assigned to Team 7. Naruto eyed the small note scribbled on the bottom of the scroll.

_"P.S: Be at the Third Training Ground at 9:00 PM tonight for some extra training."_

Naruto had no idea what that was all about. He figured it was from Kakashi, but he wasn't sure. _'Well, training's training. I've never said no to a good training session...'_ he thought, squinting up the path toward the familiar building.

The Ninja Academy held some fond memories for him. It also held some of his most painful ones. Memories that reminded him of how alone and secluded he used to be. Memories of _him_, his friend who had abandoned him and his village in favor of power and revenge.

_'Sasuke...'_

He snapped out of his nostalgic trance, stopping in front of the Academy. He slowly slid the door open, poking his head in to see if anyone was around.

"Ah, Uzumaki Naruto! Welcome back!" the receptionist greeted him, waving him over towards the main office. "Go ahead and sign in, then report to your classroom. You'll get assigned to your new team there." she said, smiling cutely. Naruto gave a small smile back to her and walked into the main office. He noticed a young assistant glancing at him nervously. But it wasn't the usual kind; she was actually smiling and blushing.

_'Funny how quickly people are warming up to me now...'_ Naruto thought to himself, a bit annoyed. The entire village had started to think better of him ever since he had returned from his 2 1/2 year training venture with Jiraiya. Now, though, everyone seemed downright jubilant to see him, now that the Kyuubi was gone. It was a bit irritating, seeing how fickle they could be, but part of him enjoyed it; he finally felt like everyone excepted him.

Naruto signed his name on a clipboard, then bowed to the receptionist and the young assistant(who swooned a bit when he did), then worked his way to the classrooms. _'Classroom #2..."_ he thought, glancing at the scroll in his hand, then at a clock on the wall.

_'10:45...hope they're not already done.'_ Naruto saw the familiar classroom and heard the sound of children talking behind the door. He sighed.

_'Atleast they're still here. Not sure if that's a good thing, though, ugh.'_ he thought to himself, as he slowly opened the door, tucking the scroll into his supply bag. The classroom quieted down immediately when he opened the door. Eleven pairs of eyes stared right at him.

"Errgh...this is the Genin orientation, right?" Naruto said nervously. He kicked himself mentally. _'Why are you so damned anxious, jackass?'_

Silence. Naruto scratched the back of his head, letting out a few light, and undeniably forced laughs.

"I-I'll just...take a seat." he said scurrying over to the far-topmost seat in the room and staring out the window. _'Geez...this is so stupid..!'_ He reminded himself to brutally murder Kakashi the next time he saw him.

Naruto felt cramped in the seat. He was getting to tall for them. As he glanced around the room, he became aware that most of the kids were still staring at him. The only one not observing his every move was a scarlet-haired boy down in the front row. Naruto shrugged, and returned to watching the window.

One of the male students suddenly got enough courage to open his mouth, and walked towards Naruto.

"Oi, what're you doin' here, OLD MAN?! I didn't see YOU take the final exam!" he said narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in turn. His teeth began slowly grinding together. A vein popped up in his forehead, and his eye suddenly got a very severe twitch. But he did not respond, or even look at the boy.

"Y-Yeah, Shin, you're right! This guy's too OLD to be in here!" his little partner chimed in.

Twitch. Twitch.

"You must be pretty hopeless if your still getting assigned to Genin teams with kids half your age, OLD MAN!" the brat named Shin continued, gaining more confidence with every word.

Twitch. TWITCH.

Naruto rounded on the brat, slamming his right foot on the table in front of him, waving a finger in the boy's face.

"Argh! Shut UP! Geez! I'm not OLD! I'm only sixteen, brat!" Naruto shouted, eyes dancing wildly.

Shin sniggered arrogantly. _'Allright, I don't care if this guy's just a kid! I. Will. KILL! Him!' _Naruto fumed to himself, rolling up his right sleeve.

"Knock it off, Shin. Nobody cares, just leave him alone." a voice said lazily. Naruto and Shin glanced at the source of the voice. It was the scarlet-haired boy in the front row.

"Ah, you're no fun, Kaiga..." Shin muttered, sitting back down in his seat. He turned around once more, pulled down his right eyelid and stuck out his tongue.

"Why...you..." Naruto muttered, ready to pounce, when another lazy voice stopped him. Naruto recognized it immediately.

"Alright, calm down everyone...sorry I'm late...getting up this early is just too troublesome..." Naruto grinned, watching the black-haired Shinobi stroll in, left hand in his pocket. He wore a green Chuunin vest and had his hair tied up in an odd ponytail over his head. It made his head look something like a pineapple. He greeted the room with a large, jaw-snapping yawn.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed, waving at his friend. Nara Shikamaru blinked, then examined the clipboard in his right hand. A lazy grin crossed his face.

"Naruto! This is a surprise...I guess you're starting over, huh?" Shikamaru said, waving lazily in response.

"Eh, yeah, I guess you could say that..." Naruto said, grinning and placing his hands behind his head. Naruto noticed that most of the kids had stopped staring at him. Shin had started glaring needles at him, while another pair of eyes seemed transfixed on him. A white pair of eyes.

"Ah, well, in anycase, let's get this over with." Shikamaru said, looking around the room.

"Starting today, you are all officially Konaha Shinobi." Shikamaru began. Naruto leaned back, having heard this all before, and admired the young, ambitous faces of the aspiring shinobi around him. He remembered when Iruka-Sensei had assigned him to Team 7, and smiled a bit.

_'Hmm...I wonder where Iruka-Sensei is anyway..?'_ Naruto found it odd that the usual Academy Instructor, Umino Iruka, wasn't handling this. Naruto frowned and glanced around the room. He noticed that the white-eyed girl was now watching Shikamaru, but she kept glancing at Naruto.

_'That must be Hinata's little sister...'_ Naruto thought to himself. He turned his attention back to Shikamaru.

"Don't let that go to your head, though." Shikamaru continued, looking around the room, tapping the left side of his head as he did. "You're all still just Genin, the weakest and most inexperienced of shinobi. Things only get more difficult from here!" he said cooly, looking throughout the classroom once more.

"Today, you are all to be assigned to three-man teams. Within these teams, you will recieve official missions and assignments that you will execute on behalf of Konaha." Shikamaru sighed lazily, looking at the ceiling, cramming his left hand back into his pocket. He continued, looking back at the students.

"Along with three Genin, each team will be led by a Jonin, an elite, senior shinobi, who will serve as your team leader and Sensei. These Jonin will guide you, coach you, and help you understand what it takes to become true Konaha Shinobi. I advise you to listen to their advice intently. Now, I will assign you all to your teams." Shikamaru finished his speech with a bored yawn, and glared back down at the clipboard.

Naruto sighed and leaned forward, laying his chin on his arms, which he had folded on the table. _'I wonder who my new Sensei will be...'_ he thought to himself, wracking his mind for possibilities. Shikamaru started listing off names, though Naruto wasn't really paying too much attention. He did note, however, that Shin got assigned to the first team, to which Naruto was relieved. Atleast he wouldn't have to deal with that twerp.

Shikamaru got to the fourth and final team and Naruto perked up. His name hadn't been mentioned yet, so this was obviously the moment of truth.

"And finally, Team 4." Shikamaru said slowly, smirking a bit. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto listened intently, wondering who his new teammates were.

"Wakaba Kaiga." Shikamaru said, glancing at the scarlet-haired boy in the front.

Naruto blinked. _'Hmmm...'_ he mused, looking him over for the first time. The boy wore a short-sleeved metal-mesh shirt with baggy, black pants. He had a kunai holster wrapped around his right pant leg and a dark red belt wrapped around his waist, which was tied in a knot on his left side. On the back of the belt was a small, brown supply bag, under which was a sheathed Wakizashi. His outfit was completed by plain, black sandals, black, fingerless gloves, and a black Konoha hitai-ite around his forehead. His scarlet-colored hair was wild and spiky, some of it hanging over his hitai-ite and in front of his green eyes.

Kaiga glanced toward Naruto breifly, then turned back towards Shikamaru and nodded slowly. Before Naruto could form an opinion, Shikamaru anounced the last name.

"And, Hyuuga Hanabi." Shikamaru finished, lowering the clipboard to his side and looking up again.

Naruto grinned and looked at the white-eyed girl across the room. _'Hanabi, huh?' _Naruto waved at her cheerfully, now taking in her appearance. She wore a white, long-sleeved shirt and blue shorts that hung down to her knees. Her kunai holster was wrapped around the left leg of her shorts, and she wore a brown supply bag on the back of her shorts. A blue Konoha hitai-ite was wrapped around her right sleeve, and she wore blue sandals. Her hair was black and quite long, hanging halfway down her back in a ponytail, tied by a simple, white hairband. A few strands of hair had escaped the hairband and were now hanging in front of her face.

Hanabi blushed slightly at Naruto's gesture and looked away at nothing in particular.

"You all will be introduced to your Jonin Sensei in about half and hour. You're free to leave, but make sure-" Shikamaru couldn't finish his speech, as he was suddenly interupted.

With a loud explosion, something blasted through the door, launching dust and debris throughout the classroom. Whatever had blasted through the door flew towards the front of the room, expanding as it did.

_'What the?!'_ Naruto thought to himself, protecting his face from the dust and smoke. The rest of the Genin were covering there faces as well.

The 'expanding' was actually a banner unfurling. A woman leapt from the banner as it unfurled in front of Shikamaru, throwing four kunai into the ground and ceiling as she did, then landing gracefully in front of it. The kunai had ropes tied throught the loops on the end of them, holding up the oversized banner.

"The Great Battle Goddess, Mitarashi Anko appears! Alright, you maggots, time to understand what true hell REALLY is!"

A long, awkward silence fell over the room.

"Troublesome..." Shikamaru poked his head from the other side of the banner, glaring at the woman. "I wasn't finished, idiot..."

Another awkward silence was ended by an embarassed laugh from Anko.

"Oh! Ahah, sorry 'bout that, Shika...guess I got a little impatient!" she said, placing her right hand on her hip and rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand.

_'...Shika? C'mon...'_ Shikamaru mused to himself, scowling in disapproval.

Naruto had completely ignored this exchange, however. He was staring in horror at what was printed on the banner.

_**NEWLY APPOINTED**_

_**TEAM 4 SENSEI!**_

_**MITARASHI ANKO!**_

_'Ah, crap.'_

**________________________________________**

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

**_Ambitions_  
**


	3. Ambitions

**:A/N:**

Ok, first things first. Thanks to everyone who has read so far. Especially to ZaiFlare for giving me my very first review!

Now. I've gone back and altered some things from the previous chapters. Truth be told, I had been sitting on those chapters for quite a while; atleast a year or so. I've been debating on whether Neji or Anko would be better in the Sensei role. I had settled on Neji for a long time, to the point where I posted the story with Neji in that role, but I finally decided that Anko would be better in the long run. So, before I got to far along in the story and got dissatisfied with it when I was to far in to really do anything about it(save killing off Neji, which wouldn't be cool), I decided to go ahead and change it. I highly, _HIGHLY_ doubt I'll do this again; like I said, I'd been sitting on this story for a while, so there are alot of things I've been reconsidering. I'm sorry to any Neji fans who are disappointed in this. Neji will still play a role, just not quite as notable a role.

Basically, if you read anything in this story before 3/16/09, it's changed since then. If this is your first time reading through this story, your fine.

Also, just for the record, in this story, contrary to what has been stated in the manga, the Kyuubi doesn't have to be the last one sealed. I think Kisame mentions that at some point, but it's not the case here.

**:DISCLAIMER:**

...Naruto...not mine...stop asking...

**________________________________________**

_With a loud explosion, something blasted through the door, launching dust and debris throughout the classroom. Whatever had blasted through the door flew towards the front of the room, expanding as it did._

_'What the?!' Naruto thought to himself, protecting his face from the dust and smoke. The rest of the Genin were covering there faces as well._

_The 'expanding' was actually a banner unfurling. A woman leapt from the banner as it unfurled in front of Shikamaru, throwing four kunai into the ground and ceiling as she did, then landing gracefully in front of it. The kunai had ropes tied through the loops on the end of them, holding up the oversized banner._

_"The Great Battle Goddess, Mitarashi Anko appears! Alright, you maggots, time to understand what true hell REALLY is!"_

_A long, awkward silence fell over the room._

_"Troublesome..." Shikamaru poked his head from the other side of the banner, glaring at the woman. "I wasn't finished, idiot..."_

_Another awkward silence was ended by an embarassed laugh from Anko._

_"Oh! Aha...Sorry 'bout that, Shika...guess I got a little impatient!" she said, placing her right hand on her hip and rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand._

_'...Shika? C'mon...' Shikamaru mused to himself, scowling in disapproval._

_Naruto had completely ignored this exchange, however. He was staring in horror at what was printed on the banner._

_**NEWLY APPOINTED**_

_**TEAM 4 SENSEI!**_

_**MITARASHI ANKO!**_

_'Ah, crap.'_

**________________________________________**

**SHINOBI CHRONICLES**

**CHAPTER 2**

_**Ambitions**_

**________________________________________**

"He's late..."

Ino stood at Konoha's northern gate alongside Yamato and Sai, tapping her foot impatiently. She had received a message the previous night about a new mission, telling her to meet Kakashi at the northern gate at 10:15 AM, but it was already 11:30 AM, and he was nowhere to be seen. On top of that, the message had no details on the mission. Ino was losing patience.

"As usual..." Yamato sighed in dismay. He respected Kakashi almost like a father, but...he had some pretty bad habits. "Maybe he really does have a good reason, this time."

"He'd better! We've been standing here for over an hour! What could he be doing!?" Ino shouted. She sighed in frustration before leaning against the village walls.

"Does Kakashi-Sensei do this often?" Sai asked, looking towards Yamato.

Yamato simply sighed and shook his head.

POOF!

In a cloud of dust and leaves, the man of the hour appeared on top of the gates, waving cheerfully.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late, I ran into a lost puppy and had to help him find his way home..." Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. Yamato just shook his head, while Ino shot him a death glare. Sai tilted his head in curiosity.

_'How noble.'_ Sai thought to himself.

"...Ah, right. Anyway..." Kakashi leapt down from the top of the gates, landing in the middle of the group. "Now that we're all here, let's go over the mission..."

Ino continued scowling at Kakashi, but remained silent as Kakashi began to explain the mission.

"The mission that we have been assigned is an extremely important one. This is an S-Rank Mission of the highest caliber; hence why no mission details were included in the messages last night. As this is an S-Rank mission, any of you have the option of dropping out of the mission beforehand." Kakashi paused for a moment, then continued.

"Our mission is to locate the Hachibi's Jinchuuriki. Once located, we are to make contact with him and give him this scroll." Kakashi removed a small scroll from his vest, showing it to the three shinobi before him. "This scroll contains an offering of shelter and protection from Konoha. Should he refuse, we are to attempt to bring him in by force."

"I see...so Madam Hokage wants to get the jump on the Akatsuki." Yamato replied.

Kakashi nodded slowly, tucking the scroll back into his vest and pulling out a small photo. He showed it to his teammates.

"Is that a Kumo hitai-ite? Why are we trying to protect someone who's already aligned with another village?" Ino inquired, frowning at the picture.

"Because he's no longer affiliated with Kumo; he went rogue about 5 years ago. No one has officially seen him since." Kakashi replied, tucking the photo back into his vest. "He's also the current Raikage's younger brother, so we're likely to run into Kumo hunter-nin on this mission, along with the Akatsuki."

"A dangerous mission indeed..." Sai said slowly, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"If anyone wants to drop out, now's the time; there won't be any more chances after this." Kakashi said slowly.

After a brief pause, Yamato broke the silence.

"I would never abandon you or the village, Senpai!" he smiled, his voice brimming with confidence.

"I have no objections to this mission. Count me in." Sai responded, nodding slowly.

"We have to stop the Akatsuki...there's no way I'll back out of this!" Ino shouted, determined.

Kakashi nodded slowly. "Alright. First, we head northeast, where we'll try to gather information from Kumo. We'll see where the trail leads from there."

Ino, Sai, and Yamato all nodded in unison.

"Okay, then. Everyone...move out!"

On Kakashi's command, four Konoha shinobi leapt into the forest, destined for the mountains to the northeast, and the Hidden Village within.

**________________________________________**

"Ahhhh, this place is the greatest!"

Anko chomped down on another dumpling, seemingly ignoring the three Genin around her. Admirable, considering the evil glares they were directing her way.

The newly formed Team 4 had gathered in Konoha's best dumpling restaraunt, presumably to get familiar with eachother. However, their Sensei, Mitarashi Anko, seemed to be more interested in the food than her new students. She gulped down the remainder of her sweet bean soup, and let out a content sigh.

"Hey, crazy-snake-lady, care to move things along a bit?" Naruto muttered, scowling at his new Sensei. Hanabi and Kaiga silently echoed their teammate.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Anko exclaimed, as if she had completely forgotten they were there. "Okay, then..." she devoured the final dumpling, "Let's get to know eachother a bit better, eh? Let's start with you!" Anko waved the now bare dumpling skewer towards Hanabi.

Hanabi blushed slightly, glancing at her new teammates. "U-Umm, what did you want to know, exactly?"

"Ah, y'know, interests, hobbies, things you don't like, goals, the usual stuff! He should know what I'm talking about!" Anko waved the skewer at Naruto this time, leaning back in her chair so that the front legs lifted off the ground. "Here, why don't you go first instead? Give 'em an idea of what I'm talkin' about!"

_'Geez, she's kinda difficult to deal with...'_ Naruto thought to himself, clearing his throat a bit. Anko began twirling the skewer in between her fingers.

"...Right. I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like ramen, especially the ramen over at Ichiraku's! I hate..." Naruto frowned, memories running through his mind, "...people who judge others on a whim. My only real hobby is training to become a better shinobi. My goals..." Naruto trailed off, eyes falling to the floor.

"...To bring him home. To save my friend from the darkness."

Anko smirked. _'No shock there.'_ She leaned forward, nodding slowly. "There ya go, see? Now it's your turn!" Anko waved the skewer at Hanabi once more.

Hanabi nodded slowly, swallowing nervously as she did. "My name is Hyuuga Hanabi. I like...fireworks! And, um, I dislike...pointless arguments." Hanabi paused, thinking. "My hobbies...um, I like...dancing, I guess. As for my goals...I want to become a great kunoichi, so that I can protect those in my life who are most precious to me!"

_'The heir to the Hyuuga clan...would appear to not really care about the clan much. Not one mention of it. Interesting.'_ Anko grinned, the skewer now dangling from her mouth.

"Good, good! Now, then. You're next!" she waved towards Kaiga, who nodded slightly in response.

"Wakaba Kaiga. I like honesty. I can't stand liars and cheats. I enjoy drawing and painting. I WILL become a great shinobi, so that I can defend Konoha, and make my parents proud!" he said, putting emphasis on the last part.

_'Well, his heart's in the right place. Feel like there's more to this story, though.'_ Anko thought, nodding in acknowledgment.

"Okay, that's perfect! Now that that's done, you guys have the rest of the day off! Tomorrow, we start with our first official exercise as Team 4!" Anko said, rising to her feet.

"Hey! Waitaminute! What about you, huh!? That's not fair!" Naruto shouted, waving an accusatory finger in Anko's face. A mischeivous grin spread across her face.

"I'm Mitarashi Anko! You maggots don't get to know a damn thing about me unless I think you deserve to!" she said, bringing her right hand up in front of her face. "Now then, the exercise will be at Training Ground 42, tomorrow at eleven o'clock sharp! Do NOT be late!"

And with a final warning, Anko disapeared in a cloud of dust.

________________________________________

Shikamaru yawned loudly as he slouched into the Hokage's office. He was greeted by more glares than he expected; not only were Lady Tsunade and Shizune waiting for him, but Haruno Sakura and Umino Iruka were waiting as well. Shikamaru cleared his throat as he walked in.

"Glad to see you could join us, Nara Shikamaru." Shizune said, frowning at the young shinobi.

"Ah, yeah, sorry...Anko caused a bit of a ruckus at the Genin orientation. I got kinda held up..." he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. He stood next to Sakura and Iruka.

"It doesn't matter." Tsunade said curtly as she picked up some folders from her desk and rose to her feet. "Let's get started. Haruno Sakura!"

"Master!" Sakura replied, shifting her gaze away from Shikamaru and standing at attention.

"Umino Iruka!"

"Ma'am!" Iruka straightened as well.

"And, for _some_ reason, Nara Shikamaru!"

"Yep." Shikamaru muttered, stifling a yawn as he did.

Tsunade and Shizune both glared at Shikamaru, but moved on.

"As of today, the three of you will be assigned the rank of Jonin!" Tsunade stated, hands behind her back. The three shinobi in front of her all reacted with varying degrees of surprise. "From this day forth, you are now considered to be among our most elite shinobi. You will be expected to perform some of our most dangerous and important missions for the sake of Konoha. You will also be looked upon to protect the village from any and all threats, and mentor our younger shinobi so that they, too, can become elite shinobi such as yourselves. It's a large burden, but one I believe you are all ready to bear."

Tsunade paused, letting it sink in for a few moments. Sakura and Iruka looked genuinely surprised and pleased. Shikamaru, however, looked more annoyed than anything else.

"Troublesome...this just means more work, doesn't it..." the lazy shinobi confirmed the aforementioned annoyance, rolling his eyes as he did.

"Indeed it does, Shikamaru. There's more to this than just simple promotions, though." Tsunade said, smirking slyly at Shikamaru. "I have new assignments for you all, as well."

"Great..." Shikamaru muttered, his eyes drifting towards the ceiling. To there credit, no one really said anything about his behavior; everyone was pretty much used to it at this point. It didn't stop them from glaring, though.

"Since you seem to be so pleased...I'll give you yours first!" Tsunade barked. Shikamaru simply sighed.

"Over the past few months, we've been in discussions with Suna about a certain...arrangement. One that, we believe, will help further strengthen the bonds of our alliance. This arrangement will involve the villages of Suna and Konoha exchanging one Jonin level shinobi apiece. These shinobi will act as ambassadors for their respective villages. We've also agreed that these ambassadors, on top of receiving missions from their home villages, will also be allowed to participate in missions assigned by the village they are traveling to."

Shikamaru frowned, now looking at Tsunade. "So you're making me the Konoha ambassador, then?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Not at all; Shiranui Genma will be fulfilling that role for Konoha."

"...So what does this have to do with me?" Shikamaru countered lazily.

Shizune answered his question this time, smirking mischievously as she did. "Well...the ambassador needs a good home to live in, as well as a guide and bodyguard as she travels the village. Though she can probably take care of herself...In anycase, she specifically requested one Nara Shikamaru to fulfill these roles."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed; he was suddenly _very_ interested in what was being discussed. "'She'? Just who is this ambassador, anyway?" he asked, voice laced with dread.

An evil grin slowly spread across Tsunade's face as she held out one of the folders. "Look for yourself. But I think you already know."

Shikamaru quickly snatched the folder and opened it. His eyes widened, then his head fell in defeat.

"You...you're evil..." he stammered.

Tsunade laughed heartily at the young shinobi's misfortune before moving on.

"Ahem...now then...Iruka! You have been specifically requested to tutor a fellow shinobi." Tsunade turned to Iruka and smiled, handing him a folder. Iruka took it, bowing his head as he did, then opened the folder, examining it. He smiled as he read it.

"Naruto, huh? This is a surprise." Iruka said looking up towards Tsunade. "Did he really make a formal request for me to tutor him?"

"Actually, it was Kakashi. He just departed on a mission that will likely keep him away from the village for a long time. So he requested for you to take over his training." Tsunade nodded slowly. "Naruto is still struggling with his chakra without the Kyuubi. Help him any way you can."

"I will do my best, m'lady!" Iruka said, snapping the folder shut and bowing gratefully. He was quite glad to have the opportunity to train Naruto once more.

"Now then, finally, Sakura!" Tsunade turned to the pink-haired kunoichi standing in the middle. "I am appointing you head of our Medic-nin Division."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "What? But Master! Aren't you..?"

"Yes, I did fulfill that role myself, but I just can't anymore. I need to devote all of my time to my duties as Hokage." Tsunade said, sighing heavily.

Sakura, after a brief pause, nodded slowly. "A-Alright. I'll do my best, Master!"

"I know you will. You'll do fine." Tsunade replied, handing Sakura the final folder. "Your first order of business is to find suitable candidates for Medic-nin training. You're free to ask any Genin or senior academy students. Of course, this task is always ongoing. You will be briefed on other matters at a later date,"

Sakura took the folder, nodding. "I understand, Master."

Tsunade nodded, sitting back down at her desk. "Good. That will be all for today. Congratulations, and good luck, to you all. You're dismissed!"

The three newly-appointed Jonin bowed graciously before filing out of the office, one by one. Once in the hallway, they exchanged congratulations before their own missions became the topic of conversation.

"So, Shikamaru...is this ambassador who I think it is..?" Sakura inquired slyly, nudging up next to the young shinobi.

Shikamaru blushed slightly, scowling. "Troublesome..."

Sakura giggled, her suspicions seemingly confirmed. "Aww, good luck! You're gonna need it, I think."

Shikamaru sighed heavily as his fellow Jonin found amusement in his misfortune.

Sakura moved on. "So, anyway, you both teach at the academy. Know of any students who might make good medic-nin?"

Iruka placed his hand under his chin and started running through the names of the senior students and recent graduates. His eyes lit up after a few moments.

"Ah! Well, there is one who might be interesting..."

________________________________________

Kaiga sat on the edge of one of the tall apartment buildings within the village. He sat silently, deep in thought, as he watched the sun slowly drift below the horizon. His new teammates had long since left for their respective homes, no doubt readying themselves for their first team exercise tomorrow morning.

_'I should get some last minute training in before I head home...' _he thought, sighing heavily. The boy fell backwards, laying his back against the rooftop, eyes turning skyward. His right hand drifted up to his chest, where he reached under his shirt and removed a small, circular, golden locket. He opened it, raising the trinket towards the sky and gazing at the small photos contained within it. His eyes were filled not with tears of sadness or remorse, but with determination and resolve.

_'Mother...Father...are you watching? I'm really doing it...I'm becoming a shinobi.'_ Kaiga gently closed the locket and brought it towards his face, lightly pressing his lips against the trinket. _'I will make you proud one day. I will live every day of my life in honor of you, and become a great shinobi. And I will defend the people of this village. Even if it costs me my life, just as it cost you yours.'_

Kaiga tucked the locket back under his shirt and stood up, brushing himself off. He glanced around, before leaping away towards the forest to begin his last minute training.

________________________________________

Naruto landed outside a familiar gate. He smiled slightly, remembering his first exercise with Team 7. An exercise that took place at the very training ground he was entering now.

_'So much has changed since then.'_ His thoughts turned to a dear friend briefly before he noticed a figure waiting for him next to those familiar stumps. Naruto grinned as he got closer, recognizing the person immediately.

"Iruka-Sensei!" he shouted, hands behind his head.

"Hey, Naruto! Ready for some training?" Iruka said, returning his beloved students' grin.

"Wha-you mean you're gonna be training me tonight?" Naruto blinked. He had simply assumed it would be Kakashi.

"That's right. Kakashi had to leave on an important mission, so he requested that I give you some one-on-one training while he was away." Iruka pointed his right thumb at himself, his grin widening. "I understand you're having some issues with your chakra?"

Naruto sighed. "Ah...yeah, well, ever since...well you know. I just can't get used to how my chakra feels now. I can't even walk on water any more!"

Iruka placed his hand under his chin. "I see. It makes since; you had so much chakra at your disposal before. It changes your entire fighting style, doesn't it?"

Naruto nodded slowly. Iruka continued on. "Okay, I'm not gonna push you_ too_ hard tonight; you need to be fresh for tomorrow. Why don't we get a feel for what you can do now? I want you to make as many Shadow Clones as you can for me."

Naruto frowned. He hadn't tried using his Mass Shadow Clones yet. He raised his hands in front of his face, forming that familiar handsign.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu**!"

A cloud of smoke filled the area. As it faded, twenty-one Narutos stood in the training ground. However, all at once, they fell to their knees, gasping for air. Iruka stepped forward, kneeling next to the real Naruto in front.

"Th-That's it..! That's all I can do..." Naruto stammered, shaking his head.

Iruka frowned. "This your absolute limit, but it doesn't seem practical for combat. Go ahead and dispel them."

Naruto obliged, the twenty clones disapearing with loud pops. Naruto took a few more breaths before pulling himself back to his feet.

"Twenty clones is still very, very good, but it's not very cost efficient. Take a few moments, then try making just ten clones." Iruka said, folding his arms in front of his chest.

Naruto nodded, waiting a couple of minutes. Once he slowed his breathing down, he brought his hands in front of his face once more.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu**!"

Once again, the area was covered in a plume of smoke. Once it dissipated, eleven Narutos stood in the training ground.

"How's that?" Iruka inquired, looking at Naruto sharply.

Naruto nodded. "Better...I'm still a little winded, but I can atleast stay on my feet."

"Okay. Let's say, for battle purposes, that for now, your absolute limit is ten clones. Your more realistic limit should be somewhere around five or six." Iruka placed his hands on his hips, nodding slowly. "This is still good; most shinobi can barely make three or four. You just need to use the clones you do have more effectively, though it seems you were already getting better in that field. Okay, try making a Rasengan."

Naruto nodded silently. He dispeled all but one clone, who walked over towards him. Naruto held out his hand, palm upward, and began trying to gather chakra. Meanwhile, the clone began swirling and spinning his hands about, attempting to mold the chakra.

Naruto frowned. They tried gathering and molding the chakra, but it just wouldn't form. After a few more moments, he had to stop; his hand was getting sore.

"Hmmm, I was afraid of this..." Iruka said, shaking his head.

"I can't even do the Rasengan anymore..." Naruto muttered, dispelling his clone. "This sucks..."

Iruka sighed. "Don't worry, Naruto. Just keep practicing, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it again. I'll help you any way I can."

"Thanks, Iruka-Sensei..." Naruto said glumly.

"Okay, I said we'd keep it light tonight, so that will do for now. Today is Monday, so...we'll meet back here Wednesday night. We'll start doing some real training then, and I think I'll show you a new jutsu that you can work on." Iruka walked over next to Naruto, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "Cheer up, we'll make you a fine shinobi yet! I guarantee it! The Kyuubi wasn't what made you strong. I know you can still become a great shinobi!"

Naruto grinned slightly, and looked up towards Iruka. "New jutsu, huh? I guess I can get excited about that!"

Iruka chuckled lightly. "I figured you would. Now then, how about we get some food?"

"Yeah! I could really use some Ichiraku's Ramen right about now!" Naruto shouted, running ahead towards the village.

Iruka watched his student, smiling.

_'Remember your Nindo, Naruto. Never give up. Never let yourself think that you're weak. You will become the strongest shinobi Konoha has ever seen!'_

________________________________________

"The Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki survived..." A woman's voice reached his ears. The Akatsuki's leader frowned slightly, leaning against the balcony railing as he watched over his Amegakure.

_'That's two of them that have survived so far...well, it doesn't matter.'_ He glanced over his shoulder at his closest companion. "Really, now? How amusing..."

"Pain...is this alright? Should we try to finish him off?" the woman asked, watching him closely.

"It doesn't matter, Konan. He can't do anything to stop us now." Pain replied, voice unwavering. "All we have left is the Hachibi. Once we have that...we will finally have peace."

"...Unfortunately, we still have no leads on the Hachibi's whereabouts. He was last seen for certain in Kumo, but that was years ago." Konan sighed, her eyes falling to the floor. "Any leads we've found since then are nothing more than mere rumors and speculation..."

Pain scowled. "How bothersome...it's simply delaying the inevitable." He turned to look at Konan. "What of Kisame and Itachi? How were their injuries?"

"Kisame was badly hurt. He will likely need a few more weeks to fully recover. As for Itachi...he had some minor chakra exhaustion, but it was nothing serious. However..." Konan trailed off, looking back up towards Pain. "...His illness is getting worse. He doesn't have long; maybe a year or 18 months at the most."

"...I see. That is...unfortunate." Pain replied, sighing heavily. "...I'll make sure everyone devotes all of their time to locating and capturing the Hachibi. It won't be long now..." Pain looked towards the sky, letting the rain fall against his face. He closed his eyes, ambitions racing through his mind.

"Soon...soon, all will be as it should be..!"

**________________________________________**

**NEXT CHAPTER**

_**Genin Exam**_


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